Logistics
Logistics play a vital role in such areas as productivity and growth in the “Industry 4.0” era, which is characterized by pure digital technology. Logistics will, increasingly, be built more on technological developments, with the more prevalent effects of Industry 4.0, which blends in information technologies and industry. Subsequently, advancements in the logistics industry will be most observed in commercial vehicles, transportation operations, and automated warehouses. In the new-generation trailer trucks, vehicles will be in constant communication with each other, customs offices, manufacturing plants, and roads.
Logistics Industry Getting Ready for the Industry 4.0 Revolution
Industry 4.0 offers significant opportunities for innovation, added value, and sustainability in our industry.
The production transformation will put instant interaction at the center through all steps of the supply chain, allowing communication-driven management of suppliers, warehouses, market shelves, and vehicles on the road, as well as production processes at smart plants. Smart machines will constantly feed information on stock levels, supply chain disruptions, damaged goods, and order or supply level changes.In this manner, processes will be reshaped to ensure efficiency and effective use of productivity.
Logistics 4.0 at Ekol
In light of developments in Industry 4.0, Ekol is turning data into meaningful information by making objects detectable, performing studies on self-determining technologies, and conducting pilot projects.
Ekol’s R&D operations have put “Logistics 4.0” at the center with digitalization and visualization, process integration through the internet and mobile applications, creating a network among objects, and efforts aimed at cloud computing and communications technologies, and simulation and robotic systems.
Smart Systems-Based Communications Network
The company plans an evolution from satellite-tracked vehicle tracking technology towards smart systems – in which vehicles are in communication with other vehicles in conjunction with traffic and road condition information, and various sensor data regarding the vehicle and the load, with which route and location updates are set autonomously for each vehicle. For this purpose, Ekol is implementing device design and process and software development by utilizing internal resources in collaboration with academic stakeholders and international institutes, while also conducting work to build communication networks not only for tow trucks, but also for containers and trailers.
State-of-the-Art Technologies for Automated Warehouses
Ekol employs “Logistics 4.0” to enhance warehousing technologies, which are equipped with automation systems widely utilized in current operations, with face-recognition technologies and sound or light-direction systems so as to increase human-machine interaction. Ekol carries out work and implements pilot projects for warehousing technologies to comply with Industry 4.0 by introducing automatically directed storage tools, smart shelf and storage units, and self-routing automation components.
New Transportation Management System with a Logistics 4.0 Approach
Ekol put together a new project team and commenced work to create a new modern-technology Transportation Management System (TMS), which is set to make its mark in the digital world, allowing for significantly high system direction in making operational decisions based on personal configuration, and interacting with all stakeholders. The company’s future projects do include designing a novel and modern corporate data warehousing environment to allow for big data analysis in the near future.
